Any chance we can talk about the present, lads?
The French media’s obsession with the notion of Irish revenge continued into the pre-match press conference here at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais, where manager Didier Deschamps and captain Hugo Lloris were both asked about Thierry Henry’s handball in the second leg of the play-off for the 2010 World Cup.
This was despite Martin O’Neill, Shane Long, Daryl Murphy, Roy Keane and a sweary Robbie Keane all dismissing the revenge motive as nonsense.
Roy Keane deadbats question about Thierry Henry handball. "Revenge not in #IRL mentality". But wait for the eyebrows pic.twitter.com/kf9i26d25S
— Mikey Stafford (@me_stafford) June 24, 2016
Lloris, at least, was playing in that game in the Stade de France over six years ago, but that is no excuse for asking the Tottenham goalkeeper if he was worried about karma.
“That really is part of the past. We are focused on the European Championships and our ambition is to get through this round and continue our journey,” said Lloris, who is a master of saying absolutely naff all in a press conference.
“I don’t know if the Irish are out for revenge, that’s part of history, it’s in the past. Tomorrow is part of the European Championships at home and we’ve noticed since the start, we are the team to beat. That does give the opposition added motivation to try and bring down the host nation.
“That will no doubt be another aim for the Irish but we’re not focused on that, we’re preparing calmly on our side of things.”
The French media, @me_stafford discovers, is oddly transfixed by Henry's handball https://t.co/Ocf2xhYoP0
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) June 24, 2016
With the eyes of the continent on the hosts the pressure is indeed on France to perform and, while they sauntered through their group, they will of course be more focused on Sunday’s match and not being ejected early from their own tournament than an incident from 2009.
Deschamps (below, right) also dismissed the revenge narrative outright.
“It’s almost none at all, to me. But whether you speak about it, I’m not going to use it [as a motivation]. I haven’t used it,” said the 1998 World Cup winning captain.
Deschamps, who took over as international manager from Laurent Blanc after Euro 2012, also believes the Ireland camp have forgotten about the issue. Perhaps he has heard Messrs Long, Murphy, O’Neill and Keane x 2 dismiss it repeatedly since the 1-0 win over Italy on Wednesday set up this encounter in Lyon.
“I’m not sure whether Martin O’Neill will talk about it either. It’s part of history – there’s a new chapter to write for both countries,” he said.
“You can’t change what’s gone on in the past. What you can change, the both of us, is what happens tomorrow. That game too will be history the day after tomorrow. I don’t think [revenge] can exist in top level football unless there’s a match and then you play again three days later.
“So many months and years have passed by since that match”
Amen, Didier.
